1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to wood framed buildings and, more particularly, to devices that enable a wood frame building to flex and deflect under normal loads without adversely affecting the interior walls and floors.
2. Description of Related Art
The present invention is a method and apparatus for securing non-load bearing interior walls in a wood frame structure in a manner that allows for vertical deflection of the frame during construction as well as during long term use of the finished building.
In recent years the construction of wood framed buildings has become generally standardized with the introduction of pre-fabricated roof trusses and more recently the I-joist roof and floor systems. Carpenters assemble the pre-manufactured structural components to the structure using nailed metal hardware which is allegedly designed to address the deflection needed for optimal performance of each assembly. Wall hanging hardware that accommodates deflection has been designed and installed in many different ways which look good on paper but often do not work out very well once they are actually built and installed in the field. Issues ranging from simply nailing the hardware too tight; or, overbuilding of blocking systems for fastening; or, I-Joist and blocking splitting apart when nailed horizontally into the laminations. Aside from these structural problems, it is also common to find that a “silent floor” is not silent at all due to standard slotted clips and blocking creaking and squeaking as one walks on the floor and the floor flexes.
Clearly there is a need in the prior art for a wall mounting system that accommodate flexure of the building frame as it is constructed and subsequently as it is used after the building construction is completed.